Tipped cigarettes



July 9, 1968 3,391,699

J. A. STERICKER TIPPED CIGARETTES Filed Aug. 2, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1M/l/[NTOR .T. A. STEFHCKER July 9, 1968 J. A. STERICKER TIPPEDCIGARETTES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 2. 1965 M/VENTOR J. h- STERKZKERBY MM.

United States Patent 3,391,699 TIPPED CIGARETTES John Arthur Stericker,Fowey, Cornwall, England, assignor to Gallaher Limited, a Britishcompany Filed Aug. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 476,564 Claims priority,application Great Britain, Aug. 19, 1964, 33,909/64 2 Claims. (Cl.131-10) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A filter tipped cigarette in whichthe cigarette paper containing the tobacco is internaly reinforced by areinforcing ring at the end of the cigarette to which the filter plug isattached.

In the normal kind of filter tipped cigarettes the cylindrical filterplug is joined abutting the end of the tobacco rod, consisting of a tubeof cigarette paper filled with tobacco, by means of a sleeve ofsimulated cork or other material which is wrapped around and stuck toboth the filter plug and the end of the tobacco rod. Mechanically theweakest point in the joint between the filter plug and the tobacco rodis in the anchorage or lap joint between the simulated cork sleeve andthe end of the tubular cigarette paper containing the tobacco rod. Thislap joint is weak not only because the overlap is made as small aspossible, usually about 3 mm., in order not to exaggerate the length ofthe filter plug unduly but also because the end of the tobacco rod isnot very rigid and does not provide a firm support when the sleeve iswrapped around and stuck to the plug and rod. It is not entirelypractical to pack extra tobacco in the tobacco rod to form a denser endbecause this wastes valuable tobacco within the overlapping end of thesimulated cork sleeve, a part of the cigarette which is not smoked.

In accordance with the present invention the cigarette paper containingthe tobacco rod of a filter tipped cigarette of the kind described isreinforced internally at the end of the rod at which the filter plug isfitted by a reinforcing ring.

The reinforcing ring is preferably a tubular collar of a tissue web ofvinyl paper or other suitable sheet material which is stuck to the innersurface of the cigarette paper at the end of the tobacco rod. Theprovision of the reinforcing ring stiffens the end of the tobacco rodwhen the simulated cork sleeve is consequently wrapped around and stuckto the filter plug and tobacco rod so that an inherently much strongeranchorage is formed between the sleeve and the rod. This increase inbond strength can, if desired, be used to reduce the length of theoverlap between the sleeve and the rod to as little as 2 mm. or evenless so that the cigarette can be smoked down closer to the filter tip.An unexpected advantage is that, when the cigarette has been smoked downto the filter tip, the exposed end of the reinforcing ring appears tocurl in- Wards and hold the unsmoked but still burning remains of thetobacco to the filter plug and prevents it falling off which has been afrequent objection to conventional filter tip cigarettes The axiallength of the reinforcing ring along the tobacco rod is preferablyslightly greater, by up to 1 mm. or more than axial extent of theoverlap between the simulated cork sleeve and the tobacco rod.

The reinforcing ring can be applied to the inner surface of thecigarette paper containing the tobacco rod during the normal course ofcigarette production. Thus a reinforcing ring of double unit length maybe stuck to the inner surface of a continuous Web of cigarette paper atcentres equal to two unit tobacco rod lengths. This may be done at astation immediately following or preceding the printer. The paper may bedabbed with adhesive, at the appropriate centres, and rectangules ofreinforcing sheet material applied to the dabs of adhesive by a suctiondrum. The longitudinal edges of the web are then continuously stucktogether in conventional fashion with the web rolled around a plug oftobacco to form a continuous tobacco rod which is then cut transverselyboth centrally through the double reinforcing rings and midway betweenthe double reinforcing rings to form unit tobacco rod lengths. Filterplugs are secured abutting the reinforced ends of the tobacco rods bymeans of sleeves which are wrapped around and stuck to both the filterplugs and the reinforced ends of the tobacco rods.

Each reinforcing ring preferably does not extend completely around thecircumference within the cigarette paper to avoid an unsightly doubleoverlap.

The invention also includes a machine for continuously making filter tipcigarettes in accordance with this novel method, the machine includingmeans for passing the continuous web of cigarette paper, before it isformed into a continuous tobacco rod, through a web reinforcing stationwhich includes means for applying a dab of adhesive to the web atappropriate centres and means including a suction drum for applyingrectangles of reinforcing sheet material to the dabs of adhesive.

One example of the production of cigarettes in accordance with theinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a central longitudinal section through a finished cigarette;

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic front elevation of printing and webreinforcing stations of a machine for use in making the cigarette;

FIGURE 3 is a central longitudinal section through a continuousintermittently reinforced tobacco rod; and

FIGURES 4 and 5 are similar section showing the fitting of the filterplugs to the individual tobacco rods.

As shown in FIGURE 1 the cigarette consists of a tobacco rod formed by atube 6 of cigarette paper filled with shredded tobacco 7. A cylindricalfilter plug 8 having an external diameter the same as that of thetobacco rod abuts one end of the tobacco rod and is secured in positionby means of a simulated cork sleeve 9 which is wrapped around the plug 8overlapping the tobacco rod and is stuck to both the plug and rod.. Theend of the tobacco rod adjacent to the plug 8 is reinforced by means ofan internal collar 10 of vinyl paper or other material which is stuck tothe inner surface of the cigarette paper 6.

The axial extent of the reinforcing ring 10 is 4 mm. and the axialextent of the overlap of the sleeve 9 over the tobacco rod is 1 /2 mm.This overlap is substantially half the conventional overlap which isnecessary with previous cigarettes not having the reinforcing collar 10.

FIGURE 2 illustrates how the reinforcing collars 10 are applied to thecigarette paper 6. A continuous web 6' of cigarette paper is fed from areel 11 around rollers 12 and 13, around a drag roller 14 and through aprinting station where an inked dye 15 prints the web at intervalsagainst a back-up roller 16. From the printing station the web passesaround another roller 17, around a drag roller 18, a tension roller 19to a further back-up roller 20. The roller 20 supports the web while itis dabbed with adhesive at two unit tobacco rod length centres by a gumdye 21 which is supplied with gum from a gum bath 22 by means oftransfer rollers 23.

At the same time a continuous web of reinforcing vinyl paper or othermaterial 24 passes from a reel 25 around feed rollers 26 to a suctiondrum 27 which co-operates with a knife drum 28. The suction drum 27 hasa perforated periphery and a vacuum is supplied to the inside of thedrum so that the reinforcing paper in held against the periphery of thedrum. The feed rollers 26 let the web 24 off at a speed such that theknives of the drum 28 cut from the free end of the web rectangles 10 ofmaterial equivalent to two of the reinforcing collars end to end. Theserectangles 10' are held on the periphery of the drum 27 and are carriedaround into engagement with the gummed inner surface of the web 6'. Thefeed of the webs 6 and 24 is synchronised so that the rectangles 10 areplaced exactly on the dabs of adhesive on the Web 6 and stick to theweb.

The web 6 with the rectangles 10 then pass round a further drag roller29 and rollers 30 and 31 to a further station 32 where shredded tobaccois laid evenly on the web 6 and the longitudinal edges of the web 6 arerolled upwards and stuck together to form a continuous tube of tobaccorod as shown in FIGURE 3.

The advancing continuous tobacco rod is cut transversely at positionsshown diagrammatically by the chain dotted lines 33 in FIGURE 3, that ismidway through the double tubular reinforcing collars which has beenformed by rolling the rectangles 10 within the web 6. The individualdouble tobacco rod lengths reinforced at each end are then acceleratedahead of the rest of the continuous rod so that, as showndiagrammatically in FIGURE 4, filter plugs 8, of double unit length canbe fitted in the gap between a pair of adjacent reinforced ends of thedouble tobacco rods. After bringing the reinforced ends into abutmentwith the plugs 8, simulated cork sleeves 9 of double length are thenwrapped around the filter plugs 8' overlapping the reinforced ends ofthe double tobacco rods so that the severed double tobacco rod lengthsare reconnected again. Transverse cuts at positions corresponding tothat indicated by the chain dotted line 34 in FIGURE 5 are then made todivide the product into double cigarettes integrally joined at theiruntipped ends and cuts are then made at positions similar to thatindicated by the chain dotted lines 35 in FIGURE 3 to sever the doublecigarettes into individual cigarettes which are collected and stacked.

I claim:

1. In a filter tipped cigarette including a tobacco rod, a cigarettepaper containing said rod and a filter plug at one end of said rod; areinforcing ring surrounding the tobacco rod and positioned internallyof said cigarette paper, said ring terminating at said end of saidtobacco rod, a sleeve surrounding said filter plug and said rod end forattaching said filter tip to the end of the cigarette, the axial lengthof said reinforcing ring being greater than the overlap of the sleeve onthe tobacco rod end.

2. A cigarette according to claim 1, in which the reinforcing ring is atubular collar of sheet material which is stuck to the inner surface ofthe cigarette paper at the end of the tobacco rod.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 636,088 10/1899 Voron 13l102,920,631 l/1960 Korber l3l--94 2,979,058 4/1961 Schur 131-10 3,010,45711/1961 Schubert 131-94 3,148,683 9/1964 Brown et al l3l94 3,176,6944/1965 Kaeding 13l-94 596,657 1/1898 Feder 13l11 1,237,026 8/1917Fonseca 131-11 FOREIGN PATENTS 514,664 11/1939 Great Britain.

LUCIE H. LAUDENSLAGER, Primary Examiner.

